It's not so much fun anymore

[Cliveshep]

It\'s not so much fun anymore

Where have all the hire boats gone? Gone are the days when we would moor up opposite Herbert Woods up in Wroxham on a windy day and watch the terror on the skipper's faces as they felt the full force of the wind on the beam while trying to get into the marina entrance, only to be swept helplessly broadside into the bridge. The competitions we had on Breydon counting hire cruisers aground and guessing how long they had been on the mud, or the happy sounds of terror when they realised that hard astern wasn't going to stop them removing half the superstructure on Yarmouth bridge on a tide that was in full ebb as they shot past the Yacht station out of control. Ahhhh - those were the days. Takes all the joy out of boating with all these skilled mobo owners not hitting anything.

Or what about Thames lock lay-byes near a hire fleet on a Saturday afternoon - always good for impromptu entertainment when they realised (a) the boat wasn't going to stop and (b) the closed lockgates wern't going to move for them! How many hard a port/starboards have I seen followed by an almighty crash as the bow hits the stone set banks with crew falling everywhere including in? Sigh.......... it just ain't the same, it's almost boring these days!!!

 

[Habebty]

Re: It\'s not so much fun anymore

Sounds like the weird sort of fun we used have as a family sitting watching all the coaches get stuck at low tide as they drove on/off the older IOW car ferries at the old Camber slipway in Portsmouth.
Funnily enough I now live in Norfolk and another good spot on the Broads for entertainment is Reedham Quay on a full ebb - as the hire boats suddenly realise that they can't stop if they approach the quay when they are going with the tide downstream then clattering into all the other moored boats. I have even seen a flybridge type pinned against the railway swingbridge by the tide here.
Bit rich of me to mention this really, as I sailed up from Ipswich and in through Lowestoft to Reedham once and promptly got stuck on the mud on my old boat - downstream from Reedham even with the centreplate up having already balls'd up raising my mast after Haddiscoe and ripping out a shroud U bolt. The very nice man in Sandersons boatyard helped me fix it though. On the whole it was a good learning experience even if the hire boats can be a bit worrying.

 

[ianc1200]

Re: It\'s not so much fun anymore

It's quite true, it isn't as much fun. Can remember in late 60's & early 70's looking forward to entertainment at Bell Weir or Shepperton locks on a Saturday, when hire boats had their first dreaded go at locks. My parents would never take Straight Across out on a Saturday regarding it as being too dangerous for our paintwork, and much preferred to see Star Craft from Chertsey, or Maid Boats from Thames Ditton bashing into each other and the lock walls, if they could actually steer into the locks.

Now realise the river isn't the same without hire boats full of younger hirers, also even only 10 years ago you could be certain of getting a mooring at any of the popular moorings at 10am when they all got going, now you find the narrowboats sitting in one spot for weeks on end.

IanC

 

[halcyon]

Re: It\'s not so much fun anymore

Funny, we had a weeks holiday on the the broads 50 years ago, Blakes centre cockpit cruiser, Bittern. Must have been good as I remember the whole week still.
I hit one poor cuiser twice and nearly crushed his tender, over the week. Moored at potter Heigham, watching a yacht decide the bridge was to low, did crash turn, boom swings out and removes all the petrol pump clobes, righthand side of bridge. Then crashes into the footbridge at the marina entrance. We spent the night there, woke to find the floor boards floating. Remember loads of yachts, all with bows ramed into bank, and only cabin roof showing above the water. To moor, you just found a nice spot, jumped ashore with rope, spike and hammer. Vividly remember once, I jumped ashore, expertly drives spike in, raps mooring line round spike, father puts boat in reverse, load twang, and there I am standing on bank with a short length of rope.
Was it fun due it beeing spontanious, you just did what you wanted. The chap from the boatyard took you 5 minuits down the river and back, jumped ashore and left you to it.
No H & S, no life jackets, to radio, basically nothing but a boat, and a AA book.

Brian